Eyes Of Fire, Tears of Glass
by GCatsPjs
Summary: We can sleep when we die.  B&B
1. Prologue

Prologue-

The silence before the accident's impact is the quietest silence to exist.

That silence that rings through the split second before the sickening crunch of metal and rubber.

The sharp, unyielding rain of glass spraying across the vehicle, and the warm wet explosion of blood and tears among the screams of mercy and the screech of the rubber tires against the wet asphalt.

The second quietest moment is the moment when it all stops.

The tires stop their sickening screech, and the last of the glass twinkles in the streetlights, fallen haphazardly across the wreckage like tears of a thousand angels.

Smoke rises from the now silent vehicles, and a deadly peace surrounds the scene, as the patter of rain hitting the remains of once moving piles of twisted metal and plastic lie in wait.

The silence is broken by distant shouts, muffled by the sound of the hissing engines, and the pounding of feet on the asphalt. Darkness had swallowed her, and her body lay crushed against the door. Her side burning, her face sliced and bleeding from the impact of the window. Liquid poured between her legs, and the taste of blood was in her mouth.

Movement was only slight, but her hand found its way to her swollen belly, slammed between the dashboard and whatever was crushing her ankle. She felt the faint movement of the child in her womb, fluttering against her hand for just a moment, then it stopped. Her voice found no outlet to scream, and dizziness quickly swallowed her, as the sound of Booth's voice invaded her ears, and her eyes saw only the darkness of death and the beckoning whisper of its voice as she reluctantly found peace in its cold embrace.


	2. 8 Weeks

8 weeks

Newspaper stained her fingertips as she wrapped another 'artifact' of Booth's in the crinkled page, ensuring that the transport of it would be safe. She slowly slid it into the packing container beside her, and looked up as she watched two legs approach her.

"It's not surgery, Bones. You can just toss it into the box." Booth said, sitting beside her, though on the couch, he leaned down.

"I'm trying to ensure that your belongings aren't damaged." She replied. "Many of these items are antiques, and are fragile, Booth. You shouldn't just toss them into a box."

"Are you saying that my stuff is a bunch of old junk, Bones?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow as he tossed a baseball glove from the coffee table on top of the carefully wrapped objects in the box. She turned her head and glared.

"In a manner of speaking, yes." She said sharply, trying to pull herself from the floor. He stood up and offered his hand. "I don't need help, I'm fine." She said, gripping the couch as she pulled herself from the floor.

"You know that it's alright for you to ask for help, right?" Booth asked, standing up, he reached for her hand before she turned away. She moved forward into his chest, looking up at him, she flashed him a sly grin and shook her head.

"There will be plenty of opportunities for you to help me, but for now I am perfectly capable of standing on my own two feet without your assistance." She teased. "Thank you."

"It is my pleasure." He said, dropping a kiss onto her lips, he groaned softly into her mouth. Her hand reached back and her fingers pushed their way into his hair, her palms carefully pulling him closer as the kiss deepened. His arms wrapped around her securely, and for a moment, he lifted her off her feet, breathlessly pulling away, he smiled into her eyes.

"We're not going to get much more packing done if we continue this way." She whispered.

"So you think I should...?" He said, not continuing his sentence, he nodded his head toward the bedroom, the room that he had been packing up before he had interrupted her.

"I think it would be wiser if you perhaps started working on the bathroom." She said, with a bit of a faux wince.

"Less of a chance for an interruption?"

"Yes." She replied, her lips still an inch from his, their eyes locked for a moment.

"But you like to do that thing... the shower thing." He whispered in a low, throaty voice. He chuckled when her eyebrow lifted slowly.

"Not tonight." She said, dropping a kiss on his lips. "We still have a lot of packing to do." She smiled. She listened to his pouting whine, and shook her head at his attempt at a glare. He took a step back, and kept her hand in his for a moment longer. He then turned and walked toward the bathroom, with a quick sideways glance for reassurance, she nodded her head to tell him to keep going, and he then disappeared from view.

She turned and lifted a picture frame from the table beside the couch. It was a picture of Booth and Parker, both smiling at the camera. She couldn't help but smile herself. Her hand moved to her abdomen, as she imagined him with their child, and allowed a smile to slip onto her lips. She was lifting the frame to the box, when her fingers slipped. She tried to recover, but couldn't, and watched as the frame fell from her hand face down, the glass smashing as it landed against the other items in the box, glass littering the contents of the box.

_*/*/ */* /* / */ * /*/* /*/* /* /* / */ */  
><em>

She gasped sharply, the sound of breaking glass still in her mind as the dream started to melt away with each passing second. Sitting up, she rubbed her face with her hands, letting out a slight whimpering sound. It wasn't that she was sad, but more that she hated displaying any form of weakness. It wasn't but a moment before a hand was on hers, and she gasped slightly.

"It's just me." He whispered, as if it would be anyone else beside her in the dark of night, she turned her head and faced him. His face was illuminated by the brightness of the street lamps outside of his apartment, and a quick glance to the clock noted the early hour. "Are you okay, Bones?" He whispered.

Without an answer, she turned and pushed herself into his chest. His arm wrapped protectively around her, and he brought them down to the mattress, where he held her close, kissing her head. "I'm here." He whispered. "Did you have a bad dream?" He asked.

"I don't remember." She lied, thinking it foolish to be this affected by a simple bad dream. "I think I am just over tired." She whispered. "Perhaps I was too warm."

"I have you now." He whispered. "You're safe now. No more bad dreams." He said, kissing her head. Her eyes closed, and she melted into his body. She pressed her ear against his chest as his strong arms wrapped around her, and she was quickly lulled back to sleep by the sound of his beating heart.


	3. 12 Weeks

The slow creak of the rocking chair echoed throughout the room. Each movement sent an aching moan through the room as if chanting a mantra. The child in her arms lay sleeping, curled in the fleece blanket, warm from the chill of the room. Her voice echoed eerily off the walls as she sang a tender lullaby to the baby. It was a song she knew from long ago, a song her mother would sing in her ear as she swaddled her closely and tucked her in for the night. The creaking chair repeated the tender beat of the song, as she looked up at the sound of another voice, in the next room echoing the song a beat or two off.

She hushed herself and stopped the chair, allowing the quiet to slide into the room like an unwanted intruder, sending a chill up her spine. She listened to the voice, the mellow tune that was being rattled out in the next room and recognized the voice as Booth's. Soft and tender, if not but a bit off tune, he whispered the lullaby aloud. She listened for a moment, to the echoing sound of his voice, and felt a chilling breeze in the room. She pulled the child toward her and felt that the heaviness that was there a moment before was no longer there. A gasp escaped her lips as she searched the blanket for the baby that had been in her arms just a moment before, and leapt from the chair when she found that her arms were empty but for the crumpled fleece blanket.

The gentle wind in the room became stronger, and the curtains moved in waves of the frozen breeze, glittering specks of snow entered the room as she rushed for the window. She pulled the window pane down with a resounding slam, and turned to see a light turned on down the hallway, dim and haunting as Booth's voice echoed through the apartment. She rushed toward the doorway, nearly tripping over the blanket that had been in her arms as her heart pounded angrily in her chest.

"Booth?" She called to him, feeling a sharp current of horror enter her body as she followed his voice down the hall. "Booth, where are you?" She called. The hallway seemed to be longer than the last time she had walked down it, and as the sound of his voice came nearer, the room seemed to become colder. She stopped in the middle of the hallway as clouds of steam emanated from her lips, her breath melting into the air around her. "Booth?" Her voice was desperate as she followed his voice once more, feeling the intense chill on her body as a frigid wind swirled around her. "Booth!" She exclaimed, running around the next bend, she saw him standing beside a Christmas tree, decorated brightly with shiny baubles and twinkling lights. He was holding a bundle in his arms, singing gently to the child.

The windows were all open, snow and wind billowing the curtains. Booth's voice just continued its soft, sweet song as she moved to the windows and started pulling them down, attempting to cease the constant draft. "Booth! Help me!" She exclaimed, slamming another window closed. She stood up to see that the one she had just closed had opened once more. The baby in his arms began to cry, and Brennan turned to see Booth, holding the child out with his arms extended. The baby's skin was blue from the cold, as it screeched angrily. "Booth! The baby! Cover the baby! It's too cold!" She exclaimed. She reached her hand to close the window beside her, and her fist swung too quickly, she didn't realize that the window was already closed as her fist went crashing through the glass, sending streaks of scarlet down her arm and onto the carpet, onto herself. She turned in shock as her eyes met Booth's, and his stare stopped her immediately.

*/ * / * / * / */ * / */ * / * / * / */ * / */ * / * / * / */ * /

She let out a muted scream as she leapt from the bed, nearly tripping over her own feet as she grabbed for anything around her that she could to steady herself. She felt the sudden urge to cry or scream as the images from her nightmare paraded through her mind. She started to pace, and could feel the ache of her muscles protesting as she felt a sob erupt from her throat. She was breathing heavily, trying to hold in the tears that were threatening to fall as she paced. Her mind was racing, and her heart was trying to keep up.

She jumped when she felt his hands on her arms, and she turned directly into his chest, pushing her body into him.

"Woah… woah, Bones…" He whispered, wrapping his arms around her. "Hey… hey, it's okay." He said, unsure of what exactly had gotten her so rattled. "Hey, it's okay… it's okay."

He stood in the middle of the room, holding her trembling body to him for several moments as she cried into his chest, not knowing what had happened, only that she had screamed loudly enough to pull him from the exhausted slumber he had been in. Her cries were tortured and broken, and as he held her, he could feel the icy cold flesh beneath his hands as he rubbed her arms to warm her. "It'll be okay, Bones." He whispered. "It was just a nightmare. It wasn't real, just a nightmare, Bones."

Her sobs slowly calmed, but she shivered with cold against him. He led her back to the bed, and pulled the blanket back. He rested beside her with his arms around her, nuzzling his lips into her neck as he wrapped the blanket around her. "I'll keep you warm. I've got you, Bones." He whispered. "Are you okay?"

"Yes." She whispered. "It was just a dream." She swallowed hard, wishing that the visions in her mind would disappear. If she knew what had caused the nightmare, she would have stopped it, but there were no answers to be had in her bed that night. Her eyes were closed tightly as her shivering slowly stopped, but sleep would not come, and she found herself simply listening to the sound of Booth's breathing. The warmth of his body and the blanket cocooned around them warmed her slightly. He whispered into her ear as she calmed, and he drifted into a dreamless sleep, his arms wrapped protectively around her.

Brennan, however lay with her eyes still wide open, as the vision of his dark, soulless eyes stared back at her through the darkness of the night, and into the early hours of the morning.


	4. 16 Weeks

16 Weeks-

Brennan stood on the platform looking down at the remains of the latest victim brought in, and could feel the uneasy clenching of her stomach as she stared at the small size of the bones.

A child.

It always disturbed her just a little more when it was a child. It always made her think about the life lost, and the horrific reality that the child before her would never grow to have a first dance, a first kiss, a wedding, a child of their own. She could feel the stirrings of her emotions rising to the surface. Her own pregnancy not only changed the balance of hormones, but also her insight into the murder of an innocent child. She thought about what it would be like to be this child's mother, receiving word that they had been murdered. She thought of the devastation that she she would feel, the helplessness, the hurt and pain. She took a deep breath and took a step back from the table.

"Bones, are you okay?" Booth's voice made her head turn as he slid his card through the security scanner, and bounded up the stairs in two steps. He could see that she was looking a bit pale. He knew that the victim was a child, and had been thinking all day about the effect it might have on his partner.

"I am having a particularly visceral reaction to this case, Booth." She said in a soft voice, her eyes still on the small bones before her.

"I know, Bones... a kid..."

"It's a bit more difficult now." She said, looking up into his eyes, he offered her a supportive smile.

"I know." He nodded. "We can talk about it, if you want." He paused. "Are you ready to get going?"

She looked to the remains, and then to her watch, noting the late time, she nodded her head. "I am feeling a little more tired than usual." She said, pulling off her gloves and preparing to walk to her office.

"Being sixteen weeks pregnant will do that to you, Bones." He said, ushering her down the steps and toward her office, they walked side by side as she flashed him a humored smile. "What?"

"I didn't realize that you were keeping count."

"Of course." Booth replied. "There are important milestones... I don't want to miss a second." He said, watching her almost disapproving look as she smiled and shook her head. "You know what I mean."

They walked to her office together, where she gathered her coat and her bag, and then to the parking garage. "We seem to be making quite a habit with going home with one another." She remarked, walking to the other side of the SUV, he smiled over at her.

"Yeah, well... I'm not giving up on the moving in together thing." He replied, watching her eyebrows lift as she held the car door handle for a moment, she shook her head and swung the door open and climbed inside.

He grinned brightly at his comment, before getting into the driver's seat. He glanced over at his partner when he climbed in, noting that her eyes were already closed as she sat back in her seat. "Are you sure you're sleeping well at night?"

"I'm fine, Booth." She whispered. "It has just been a long day." She said, feeling the car start to move. "You should really wear your safety belt." She said, catching his eye as he glanced to her side of the car.

"This again?"

"I'm just saying... the statistics for death in the instance of an automobile accident are much higher for people who don't wear safety belts." She mumbled as she closed her eyes again, tipping her head toward the window as she dozed off. "It would be a shame if our child had no father simply because he felt it was more manly to not use a simple safety device."

He shook his head and glanced to her once, twice, as he pulled from the parking garage. With a resounding sigh, he shook his head, grabbed the belt from beside him and yanked it around himself. He waited to see if she'd notice as the buckle clicked, but saw no movement, a tender smile slipping over his face as he drove them toward his apartment.

* / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * /

Sticks and leaves crack and rustle as their feet shuffle over the uneven ground of the forest. Brennan hears her partner behind her, his flashlight beaming this way and that as they walk around several branches. She stopped after a moment and looked back at Booth, catching the expression on his face from the light. "Why are you stopping?" He asked.

"I'm tired."

"There isn't any time for tired, Bones. We have to find this kid."

"Booth, we're not missing persons, we're homicide investigators. We shouldn't be..."

"You're the one that lost him."

She was confused by his attitude, the snap in his voice. "I didnt lose..."

"Yes you did. It was your responsibility to watch him, and you were the one that let him slip away! Now if we don't find him, he's going to die out here!" Booth shouted.

"Booth, you don't have to yell at me." She whispered.

"If you weren't so obsessed with your work all of the time, you would have paid more attention. You're a damned workaholic! You need to stop living with the dead and learn to live among the breathing." He sneered. "Now stop yapping and start looking!" he said, pushing past her, he stomped in front of her and flashed the flashlight through the darkened woods.

She thought for a moment about this person they were looking for. Booth had said it was a 'kid', a child? She tried to picture the child they were looking for, tried to remember a name, or a photo that she had seen, and nothing came to mind. She followed after the beam of the flashlight looking this way and that, for a child that seemed to be a ghost in her mind and nothing more. Booth was walking faster through the dark forest, and she was finding it difficult to keep up with him. She called out to him and he stopped.

The light swung around and he pointed it directly in her eyes.

"What?" He snapped.

"Who are we looking for?" She asked, feeling the wear on her muscles, she was exhausted.

"What the hell do you mean who are we looking for?" He asked, approaching her quickly. She took a step back as he neared her, and his chest nearly bumped her. "We're looking for the kid that you lost! YOU lost the kid, Bones... he was YOUR responsibility! So stop looking at me for answers, okay? I'm just helping you out here because I have to... I got involved in this whole mess, so I'm obligated to help you with this!" He said angrily, turning the flashlight from her eyes, he stomped off through the woods again, this time moving much quicker than before.

"Booth! Booth, hang on..." She exclaimed, chasing after him, he seemed to be moving even too fast for her to catch up. "Booth!" She screamed as the light disappeared. "Booth!" She exclaimed, as the flashlight disappeared into the darkness. She was left alone in the dark woods, her eyes scanning the trees as she tried to figure out where she was. Cold, desperate, alone and exhausted, she could feel panic rising in her chest. She fell to her knees, trying to regain some sense of control. Trembling, she rolled into a ball and began to cry, sobbing into the unknown for answers to questions she couldn't even begin to ask.

* / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * /  
>Booth pulled into the parking space near his apartment and put it in park. His eyes fell upon his partner, who now sat awkwardly in her seat, her head facing away from him. He quieted the engine and watched for a moment, noting that she seemed to gasp slightly, and with a silent tear rolling down her cheek, she realized that she was crying in her sleep.<p>

He pulled his seatbelt off, and turned, setting his hand on her arm. "Bones?" he said softly, trying not to frighten her out of the nightmare, he said her name again. "Bones, hey?" He whispered.

She turned her head sharply, her eyes wide with confusion as she looked up at him.

"You were crying." He whispered. "Are you okay?"

Her brow furrowed as the memory of the dream echoed through her mind. She could still feel the tear rolling down her cheek, and she swiped at it with the back of her hand. "Just a dream." She said, though it sounded more as if she was trying to convince herself. "I'm okay." She said, unbuckling herself, she grabbed at the handle on the door.

"Bones, wait a second." He said, holding his hand out to touch her shoulder, she pulled out of his reach and swung the door open.

"What?" She asked, turning around, she could see that he looked worried. "Booth, I am fine. Just... hungry, and tired, and... my elevated hormone levels are causing my dreams to be slightly more vivid than I am used to. I am not a child, I can handle this." She replied, watching his eyebrow lift, she decided to close the door of the car on his skeptical glance and started to walk toward the apartment.

"Bones... wait up." He said, climbing from the SUV, he jogged up beside her. "You're not sleeping well, you're tired all of the time... maybe you should take a few days off." He said, trying to be diplomatic, she turned sharply.

"I am giving my nutrients to the child that is growing inside of me, Booth. Of course I am tired. I am not a workaholic." She snapped.

"Woah." He said, holding his hand out, he shook his head. "I never called you a workaholic."

"You assume because I am tired, it is because I am working too hard, and you are also making the assumption that I don't care enough about this child to take care of it." She snapped. "I assure you, Booth... I am doing everything in my power to ensure that our child is healthy... you don't have to feel obligated to aid in relieving my distress, and if you..."

"Wait, wait... Obligated? Bones..."

His interruption seemed to fluster her, and her dream mixing with her reality confused her for a moment. She stammered and stopped, letting out a frustrated sigh. "I'd just like to go inside and go to bed now, if that's alright." She said softly. She could see that she hurt his feelings, and that wasn't her intention, so she tipped her head in an obvious statement of acceptance of that. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"It's okay." He whispered back, offering a small supportive smile. "I'm here for you, you know that, right?" He asked, watching her nod her head, she curled her lip into an acknowledging smile. He reached for her shoulder, and she pushed into him, allowing him to pull her into his side. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and kissed her temple. "Let's get to bed." He said, letting the conversation simply drift away into the night, as both of their fears stayed very real in their hearts, but unspoken, and unresolved.


	5. 20 Weeks

20 Weeks-

The brisk wind was halting as Brennan's car pulled up to the address that Booth had alerted her to. She climbed from her car cautiously and listened for the sound of another car, or the sound of voices, but heard nothing but the whistling wind flying through the trees. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket to call Booth and ask if she had gotten the location wrong and scowled at the lack of service in the remote woods of Virginia. She walked cautiously toward the cabin several yards away, noticing that there was a light in the window, she wondered if they had a telephone that she could use to call her partner.

The path to the small cabin was worn, and the closer she came to the old cabin, the more she doubted that the cabin had running water, let alone a telephone she could use. She moved cautiously up the front steps, listening to the creaking wood beneath her feet. She had just stepped to the door, when she felt the wooden flooring of the porch begin to give way beneath her feet. She gasped as the planks beneath her cracked, her foot jamming between the wooden boards, and before she could catch herself, both feet broke through, and she was in a free fall. It wasn't a long way down, but she tumbled, landing hard on her back, as the wind was knocked out of her lungs.

Her eyes were closed, and she groaned in pain, taking a slow, deep breath. She opened her eyes to the darkness around her, and felt a gentle sprinkling of something falling onto her skin from above her. She pushed herself into a sitting position, flailing her arms as she brushed the dirt that was falling into the small metal container that she now found herself in. "Booth!" She shouted, hoping that someone would hear her calling, but she heard nothing from above. "Booth! Help!" She shouted, but no answer.

The dirt from above continued to fall into the container, and to her heightened senses, it seemed to have the aroma of spices mixed with coal dust. The falling dirt billowed around her and stole her oxygen, and she could feel the space becoming smaller with each passing second. She began to panic, calling out desperately for help, she could feel the sweat beading up on her skin as she scratched at the container. "Booth! Please! Please!" She screamed as loudly as she could, her fingernails bending back at the sheer strength she was exerting against the metal box. "Booth!" She screamed.

"Bones!"

The voice had come from above, and she saw a hand appear above her. There were no more words, just a hand grasping for her to reach. Without thought of consequence, she latched onto the man's hand and let him pull her up and out of the makeshift coffin she was in. As he pulled her to safety, the container caved in beneath her, filling with dirt, sand and debris. She collapsed onto the ground, rolling onto her back, she expected to find herself on the porch of the home she had seen only moments before, but instead was lying in the middle of a field.

She rubbed the dirt from her eyes, the sun shining in her face so brightly that she could see nothing until the shadow above her blocked the sun. "Booth?" She whispered, breathing heavily.

"Think again." The voice said above her. She looked up and found herself staring into the barrel of a gun. Gasping, she focused on the face of the man holding the gun to her head, as she lay on her back.

"Broadsky?" She whispered.

"You're willing to die for Seeley Booth?" he asked, adjusting the pistol in his hand, pressing the cold steel against her forehead. She wanted to reach up and grab it from his hand, sweep her foot across his leg and drop him to the ground, but found that she was seemingly paralyzed against the ground. "Willing to die? Willing to be his collateral damage? You're willing to let your child die for Seeley Booth?" He asked, moving the gun from her forehead, pointing it toward her swollen abdomen, his finger moved for the trigger.

"NO!" She screamed, squeezing her eyes tightly as she screamed, she waited for the gunshot, waited for the pain that never came, instead she heard the sound of shouting voices.

Her eyes popped open, and she could feel her bed beneath her body. The soft covers enveloped her, as she listened to the shouting voices in the distance. She slowly sat up and listened to them for a moment, she instantly recognized her partner's angry voice.

The sheer velocity of her racing heart was making Brennan's chest pinch with pain, and she jumped from the bed quickly and ran for the door. Slowly, she walked around the corner, peering down the hallway, for a moment all she could see was Booth. His face was red with anger as he shouted, his arms flailing angrily as he shouted at whoever was in front of him. She didn't recognize the other man's voice, and when she looked around the corner, her eyes clashed with those of the other man.

She gasped when she saw the hollow eyes of Howard Epps staring back at her, that leering grin pointed in her direction. "Don't you look at her!" Booth shouted angrily. "Don't you dare look at her!" He screamed, grabbing Epps' shirt, the other man struggled and tried to punch Booth, as they began to become violent. Between grunts of anger and fists flying, Brennan called for them to stop, but her shouts fell upon deaf ears as they stumbled through the apartment, slamming head on into furniture and artifacts.

"Stop!" She shouted, pulling at Booth as the three of them twirled in a whirl of fists and angry words. "Stop! Now!" She shouted as they tumbled backwards, all three of them, toward the window over the fire escape.

They became tangled in a ball of bodies as Booth lifted Epps and swung him angrily through the large window, glass shattering, littering the apartment as the man's body flew through the window and out onto the fire escape. Booth leapt through the now empty hole in the apartment, glass crunching beneath his feet as Brennan scrambled after him. Epps and Booth struggled, and Brennan grabbed Booth's arm, begging for him to stop.

"You have him, Booth! You have him! No more! No more!" She shouted, as Epps struggled back. Booth punched Epps, sending him tumbling back, his body rolled over the railing. "Booth!" She screamed, grabbing the man's hand as he dangled over the edge, sneering at the two of them. "Booth! Help!" Brennan screamed, trying to look up as the man's hand began to slip from her hold. "Booth! Why aren't you helping?" She screamed. She looked down at the man she was holding over the fire escape. What she saw made her blood run cold as Booth flailed beneath her, his fingertips slipping as his grip began to loosen.

"Bones! Don't let me fall! Don't let go!"

"Let him fall." The voice from behind her growled. "You don't need him."

Brennan looked up, and not Epps was above her, but Max, as he lifted his foot and kicked her hand, and the last of the grip she had on Booth was released, sending him careening into the pavement below, screaming helplessly for her.

/ * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * / * /

"NO!" She screamed, her voice echoing through the room, as she jumped from where she had fallen asleep. Her chest felt as if there was a heavy weight upon it, crushing her beneath it, and she stood with her eyes closed tightly as the visual of Booth falling replayed in her head.

Her hand was on her chest as she tried to control her breathing, and the sound of her heart pounding in her ears blocked out the rushed entrance in her doorway of a very panicked scientist.

"Doctor B, are you alright?" Hodgins said, becoming the focus of Brennan's blank stare for a number of seconds. There was an expression of terror on her face like none he had ever seen before, and as he took a step forward, she held her hand out to stop him.

"I'm..." She said, her lips trembling as reality started to swirl around her and the objects in her dream began to fall apart around her. The rational side of her began to push it's way into her mind, and though she was staring into the wide blue eyes of Jack Hodgins, she could still see the icy glare of Jacob Broadsky, the lecherous grin of Howard Epps, and the angry sneer of her father staring back at her.

"Did you have a nightmare?" He asked, walking toward her. "Angie had some pretty nasty nightmares early on in the pregnancy." He said, taking her silence as an invitation to help, regardless of her defensive stance. The look of terror had started to fade away, though she still seemed panicked. "Here." He said, taking her arm, she allowed him to help her sit down. He looked over the files that were spread out on the table in front of her couch, and the faces of murderers and pictures of remains that were the focus of her research for the afternoon. "No wonder you're having nightmares." He said, closing the folders, he was slightly disturbed by the fact that she still hadn't spoken a word to him, only sat silently beside him on the couch as he cleared the research materials from the table.

"I'll get you some tea, okay?" He said, glancing to her, he noted that her eyes were focused on the folders on the table for a moment. "Doctor B?"

She turned her head and looked at him absently, as her eyes cleared and she shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry." She whispered. "What?"

"Tea." He replied. "Angie said that a little bit of herbal tea would help with the nightmares... or at least relaxing after them. I'll get you some herbal tea, okay?"

She stared at him for a moment as if she hadn't heard him, and nodded as she swallowed hard. "That... yes." She said, still trying to recover. "Yes, thank you, Doctor Hodgins." She said. "Tea would be nice. Thank you."

"It's no problem, Doctor Brennan." He said with a cheerful smile, he patted her hand lightly, though in the back of his mind he could still see that look of horror on her face, and hear the blood curdling scream that had alerted him to her office in the first place. He stood up and walked toward the door, tipping his head as she seemed to be back to normal. "Don't worry, Doctor B. The nightmares should get better as time goes on..." He said with a supportive smile.

She nodded gratefully, and offered him a slight smile, watching him disappear from the doorway. She rested her head in her hands, and tried desperately to rid her mind of the sights and sounds she was being tortured with.


	6. 24 Weeks

24 Weeks

The night seemed to flicker like an old movie, and colors didn't seem as full, almost black and white. Brennan walked through the darkened hallways of an old school, a light on in the distance beckoned her. Slowly, she walked, feeling a breeze blowing through the open windows at the end of the hallway.

She shivered.

"Hello?" Brennan called, alert to the sound of a child laughing in the distance, perhaps coming from the room with the light on. There was no answer to her call, and she continued her pace down the hallway. "Hello?" She called again.

The laughing continued, and she was just walking up to the doorway when she turned the corner of the doorway.

The room was a typical classroom, though it seemed a bit dated, and a child with dark ponytails danced around a desk. She was laughing and chanting something, and stopped when she saw Brennan in the doorway.

She looked frightened at first, but straightened at the sight of the adult. "What are you doing here?" The girl asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Brennan said. "It's night time, and you're alone. You shouldn't be alone at this time of night, I am sure the school is closed."

"Shut up." The girl glared, her dark brown eyes narrowing at the adult. "I don't have to listen to you."

Brennan was startled by the venomous tone, and straightened. "I am an adult, you are a child. You need to mind your manners."

"Mind your own manners." The girl glared, as she started to skip about the desk again, humming as she ignored Brennan, her ponytails flipping as she went.

"Why are you here?" Brennan asked, clearly not getting an answer from the girl. She stepped forward. "Why are you here?" Brennan asked again. "I am speaking to you." She said, watching the girl continue to ignore her, a grin on her lips as she continued to hum. "Where are your parents?" She asked.

The girl stopped. She looked to Brennan and gave her a scrutinizing glare.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She asked.

"Where are your parents? Why are you here?"

"Why are any of us here?" The girl asked. She then continued to dance around the desk, humming as she ignored Brennan again.

"Please just stop." Brennan said, feeling an intense pain in her head, she reached for the child.

"Don't touch me!" The girl exclaimed, swinging a fist into Brennan's abdomen. "Don't ever touch me! Don't touch me!" She screamed again and again, her fists punching Brennan again and again. "I hate you, Mommy! I hate you! I hate you!" She screamed.

*/ * / * / * / */ * / */ * / * / * / */ * / */ * / * / * / */ * /

Brennan jolted from sleep in intense pain. Her head was searing with pain, and her abdomen felt as if it were being squeezed to the point of tearing. Sweat poured from her body, and she was fighting to keep her breath. She reached out for the body that was always beside her, and found that she was in her own bed, at her own apartment, alone.

She sucked in a deep breath. "No." She whimpered, trying to quell nausea that sitting up had caused, knowing that if she moved too quickly, then it would make things so much worse. Her head thrummed with activity, her swollen belly twisted in pain and she gently rubbed it in an attempt to calm herself.

She calmed after several moments, controlling her breathing once again. She thought of calling Booth, she thought of having come to her, and all that rolled through her mind was their argument from that evening.

_"You worry about you, and I'll worry about me."_

_"Bones, we need to talk about this."_

_"Tomorrow. We'll talk tomorrow. Just give me time to think. I just want to be alone."_

Then she had walked away from him.

Brennan stared at the ceiling and tried to control her breathing. She tried to control her thoughts, and slowly her headache dulled to a low rumble. Her abdomen still hurt, though she attributed it simply to the changes of her body, and the expansion of her abdomen. Everything was normal. Everything was fine.

As long as the answers fit in the tiny little boxes in her mind.


	7. 28 Weeks

28 Weeks

The silence of the lab was filled with a thickness that seemed almost otherworldly. The pain in her head, neck, and back were unending as she stood over the platform looking down at the bones before her. Cleaned and positioned, she began her routine examination of the bones. Her hand pressed against her ever bulging abdomen, and she leaned across to lift the third rib into her fingers, and her brow furrowed at its condition. The body before her had signs of years of abuse, defensive wounds, bone breaks, evidence of multiple traumas that had extended from childhood to adulthood. The entire story of this man's life was lying before her on the table. She placed the rib back onto the table.

Angela had taken the skull for reconstruction, though from Brennan's vantage point, the lights appeared to be off in her office. She couldn't remember Angela leaving, so she figured that maybe she simply dimmed the lights to use the computer screen. Brennan's attention moved back to the skeleton, and continued her exam.

She walked around the table slowly, eying each curve and crevice in the bone. She stopped at the kick to her ribs from the child inside of her, a sharp pain that made her close her eyes. The moment of darkness was very inviting, but her eyes opened once again to the remains. Her eyes traced the shadows of the bones, and the remodeling that was both old and new on several of the bones. There was an air of familiarity with the body before her, and the longer she examined the bones, the more her stomach twisted.

Her eyes blurred for a moment, perhaps from her exhaustion, perhaps from the intense headache that was pulsing in her skull. She could feel her heart palpitating faster with each movement. Her eyes focused on the tarsal bones, and the remodeled breaks.

Torture.

Immediately, her eyes flicked up to the ribs, a nick consistent with a gunshot wound, and then finally to the vertebrae. It was obvious that there had been compression of the vertebrae, pressure, pain, immobility. There were remodeled greenstick fractures of the clavicle, and other injuries that sent her mind reeling about the identity of the victim. Her eyes flicked over the bones again and again, and her finger rolled over each and every one of them with razor precision, cataloguing each and every inch of the bones in front of her. She was looking for something to tell her otherwise, and anomaly, a break or genetic trait that the victim had that wouldn't be linked to the one person that fit the profile for this set of remains.

Booth.

It couldn't be Booth. She shook his name from her mind, but with each and every bone, his name reappeared as a possibility. This victim had been dead for nearly three weeks. That, she remembered from the initial report. Muscle and tissue had been eaten away by animals, which was leaving them to identification. The baby kicked again, a brief pause, and then another kick. She whimpered at the pain in her head as the nauseous feeling she had in her stomach began to turn sharper and more urgent. She closed her eyes and put her hand to her forehead, trying to remember the last time she had seen Booth.

Her mind was blank.

She hadn't met him for coffee for weeks. They hadn't eaten together in such a long time, that she couldn't even remember that. They hadn't slept in the same bed for weeks. The phone had been silent, so she figured that he had just given up.

Given up.

Her eyes flashed back to the bones, and then to her phone, sitting beside her on the table. She pressed the buttons, but all she heard on the other line was Booth's voicemail. Her breathing became labored as she gripped the edge of the table. Her head throbbing so hard it was almost as if her brain was physically slamming against her skull. She pushed from the table and rushed down the steps of the platform, heading in the direction of Angela's office, she stumbled against the door.

"Angela?" She shouted. "Angela, are you still in there?" Brennan exclaimed. She grabbed hold of the handle, but found it to be locked. "Angela! Let me in!" She shouted, the baby kicked with reckless abandon as she felt her body shaking. "Angela, please!" She screamed, her eyes focusing on the window. She could see through the blinds, the screen rendering the image of the victim.

Bone, muscle, tissue, the rendering was of exactly who she thought it was. She turned her back on the door, staring off at the remains on the table. Her eyes closed and she screamed, wishing for the darkness to swallow her completely.

/*/*/*/*/*

"Brennan!" Angela's voice sliced through the nightmare like a scalpel into soft tissue. Her hand shook the other woman firmly, and suddenly Brennan's eyes opened wide. She sucked in a deep breath and held it. "Brennan, breathe!" Angela exclaimed.

The breath exploded from her lungs, and because she was lying awkwardly on the couch, she couldn't sit up. Her eyes closed and she started to cough, groaning from the excruciating pain in her head. She put her hand on her head and whimpered as she started to cry.

"Bren, look at me." Angela whispered. "Please, I'm trying to help you." She said, trying to pull her friend's hand from her face, she let her cry for a couple moments, and waited for her to calm down. "It was just a dream… whatever it was, it was just a dream." Angela said softly.

"They're all dreams." Brennan exclaimed. "That's all that anyone ever says… manifestations of my fears… horrible visions of… " She sobbed into her hands. "I can't…"

"Sweetie, you need to take some time off… You're exhausted."

"I'm fine." She said, pulling her hands from her face, she tried to sit up. "I'm fine." She alleged, pushing herself up a little, she readjusted into a sitting position, pulling her feet from the couch. "I'm… I'm okay. I'm okay when I'm awake." She said, catching her breath. She wiped her tears with her hand and took slow, deep breaths.

"Bren, how long have you been having these night terrors?"

"I don't… I don't know, now and then."

"They're not normal… to have these types of intense nightmares. Have you spoken to a doctor?" Angela asked.

"I have." She lied, but knew that if she told her friend the truth about her headaches, and high blood pressure, that she'd be sure to insist she go on bed rest. She had been able to maintain a normal blood pressure for most of the day. Participating in relaxation exercises, and non stressful activities were helping. The doctor had given her breathing exercises and relaxation exercises. The only time she couldn't control it was when she slept. "I've already spoken with the doctor, but he says there isn't much they can do about nightmares." She whispered.

"You look like you're in pain."

"Just tired, Ange." She said, her voice full of sleep. There was a light knock on the door, and Brennan looked up. The face she saw in the doorway made her stomach twist. "Booth, you're…"

"Here to pick you up." He said, watching her eyes fall back to her hands, avoiding his. "Are you okay?" He asked, moving toward her, he could see the wetness of her shirt from sweating, and her face was so very pale. "Bones, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Booth. I'm just… tired." She said, insistent that she was fine.

"Did you have another nightmare?" He asked, touching her hands. He knew the answer from her lack of reply. "Are you alright?" He whispered. He looked to the door, and Angela was slipping from the room.

"I'm fine, Booth." She said, shaking her head. "I'm just…"

"You're coming home, and tomorrow we're going to the doctor about the nightmares."

"Booth."

"I'm not asking, Bones." He paused. She looked so vulnerable, almost ashamed. His hand lightly pressed against her belly, and she looked up into his eyes. "I won't ask any questions, but I am finding it very difficult to sleep without you. And I can't keep letting you avoid me, Bones, not with these nightmares."

"Booth." She whispered, her voice was a bit of a gasp, but she could see the caring in his eyes. He was being sincere, and she knew that she was being foolish. "Will you hold me?" She whispered.

"As best as I can." He said, slipping a charming smile onto his lips, she couldn't help but smile as he let out a soft laugh. She allowed him to help her stand, and he put his arm around her. "Let's go." He said, kissing the top of her head.

They walked from the office slowly, her eyes flickering to the bones that sit on the table of the platform. Her breath caught in her throat as she thought of her nightmare. "Bones, are you okay?" Booth whispered, noticing the stunned silence of his partner.

She turned her face to him, almost startled, reminding herself that he was right there. He was safe, alive, and right in front of her. "Huh… Yes." She said quickly. "Sorry." She said, leaning her head on his shoulder, she let him lead her from the lab, his arm around her, protecting her from the nightmares that were threatening to claim her for their own.


	8. 32 Weeks

_**Reader discretion is advised. **_

_**Love and Sid, **_

_**PJ.**_

* * *

><p><strong><span>32 Weeks<span>**

The rasping sound in her ear was unyielding. There was a constant stream of cool air across her skin, and a light surrounded her. She felt as if she were floating, or light headed. The pulsing in her brain reminded her of her headache. She whimpered slightly in pain. The room seemed brighter all of a sudden, and smells were stronger, the shadows moved around her. She could see shadows of people behind a curtain moving working, walking, and tried to call out to them, for she had no idea where she was, but heard nothing escape her lips.

She tried to move, but her body felt heavy all of a sudden, and when she looked down, she could see the large bulge in her abdomen was gone. Immediately she began to panic. "My baby." She whispered, looking around, she realized she was in a hospital and the curtains were hiding the doctors and nurse from her. "Where is my baby? She panicked. "Help! Please, help!" She shouted, tears streaming down her face as she struggled to move.

"Bones." She heard Booth's voice sharply, but couldn't see him. "Bones, look at me." He snapped.

She turned her head and he was standing over her bed, holding something in his arms. She stopped struggling. "Bones… are you okay?" He asked. The bundle he was cradling in his arms was moving. He said nothing as he stepped toward her and gently placed the wriggling infant in her arms.

She could feel herself calming as the weight of the child was placed in her arms, and looking at the baby, it was no longer moving. Suddenly, her panic began to rise again. The baby in her arms was blue, unmoving. The baby in her arms was…

"No." Brennan said, staring up at Booth, his eyes were cold. "Booth, no. What happened?"

"What's wrong, Bones? This is what you wanted, right...?"

"What's wrong with her? What's wrong with her, Booth?" She exclaimed. "Why isn't anyone trying to save her!"

"No brain, no heart." Booth said in a low and grating voice. "No brain, no heart."

"Stop! Stop!" She screamed as Booth reached for the baby.

"No!" She shouted, holding tightly to the baby. "Don't take her from me!"

Suddenly, the baby started to cry in her arms and Booth continued to try to take it from her. "Give her to me, Bones!"

"No! Stop! She can't be alive if she has no brain or heart! This can't be real!" She screamed. "Stop!"

"Give her to me, Bones, she's mine." Booth exclaimed as suddenly, the crying stopped.

Her struggle with Booth became more involved, and the light in the room went dark. She could hear him calling her now.

"Bones, please! Bones, look at me!" Booth exclaimed, the blanket in her arms turning into the blanket twisted around herself, and the weight of her body was Booth, holding her down carefully. "Bones, please." He begged. Her focus suddenly landed on him, and her struggle ceased. She was breathing heavily, and Booth was over her, looking down at her. "Bones…"

Her chest heaved with big, cleansing breaths, and his face was dotted with sweat as if he had just been working out. They were in his bedroom, wrapped in the sheets and blankets on the bed. He released her arms and rested his hand on her belly. "Are you okay?"

"I think so." She whispered, trying to ignore the sharp pain in her head. She continued to try to catch her breath. "Booth." She breathed, and his eyes were on her. "Make them stop." She whimpered.

"I wish I could." He said, pulling her to him closely, she could tell that he was just as frightened as she was. "I really wish I could. How are you feeling? Do you still have a headache?"

"No." She lied, and clung to him for a moment longer. In reality, her headache was so painfully sharp that she could literally hear her heart beating in her skull. It not only exhausted her, but made her stomach hurt. She could feel sharp pains in her abdomen. "No." She whispered.

"Alright…" he whispered. "Let's try to relax." He said, feeling as her fingers slowly released him. "Let's just try to relax. He whispered. "I've got you." He kissed her forehead tenderly as he held her, knowing that he wouldn't be sleeping again tonight. "I love you, I've got you."


	9. 35 Weeks

_**35 Weeks**_

The report on the computer screen was dancing before Brennan's eyes. The longer she stared at the black words, the more they seemed to tremble. She rubbed her eyes again, and reached for her water bottle, hoping that the pain in her head would just go away for a minute, a second.

All she wanted was a little bit of silence.

She turned her attention back to her computer screen, and continued typing. Her fingers moved along with the throbbing of her head. She felt her child move within her womb, and her hand rested on her abdomen for a moment, hoping that the baby would calm for another moment or two.

All she wanted was peace.

Her fingers flew over the keyboard at a record pace, and the words she wrote appeared to be moving without purpose as she again tried to focus. She rested her head in her hands, and closed her eyes. She almost didn't hear the sound of the light knock on her door. She looked up, and was met with the cheerful blue eyes of her colleague.

"Hodgins?" She said, though her voice sounded a lot deeper than she had intended. She felt groggy, almost drunken by the headache, and she could see the guilt in his interruption.

"Are you okay, Doctor B?" Hodgins asked, keeping his voice low.

"Yes." She replied, clearing her throat. "Was there something that you needed?" She asked, noting that Hodgins did look concerned for her, she lifted an eyebrow.

"I had something to show you from one of the victims from the train depot." Hodgins said. He watched her try to get up, and stepped forward. "But it's alright, I could just hook up the camera up at the platform, and…"

"I prefer to see it myself, Doctor Hodgins." She said, pulling herself up slowly, she rested for a moment.

"Are you sure you're alright, Doctor B?"

"Just a little bit of a headache." She said, giving Hodgins a grateful smile. "I'll be right out there." She said. Hodgins gave her a nod and turned to walk out of the office. He gave her one more glance and noticed that she was steadying herself at her desk. He stepped out to find Angela, on his way to the platform.

Brennan managed to steady herself, conquering the dizzy spell that had threatened to knock her over. It made her feel triumphant. She then walked slowly toward the doorway. As she stepped out into the lab, she noted that the lights seemed a lot dimmer than they typically were. She squinted as she looked up at the fluorescent lights, and the glass skylights, and noted that it was dark outside, and she realized the late hour. Her phone rang in her pocket, just as she reached the steps, and she lifted it to her ear.

"Brennan?" She said into the line, glancing to the platform, she tried to block out the throbbing in her head. The line was full of static, and she could hardly hear Booth. She turned and held her finger to her ear. "Booth? Is that you?"

He sounded rushed, or upset, and she could hardly make out what he was saying. The lights in the lab dimmed and brightened, and she looked up. "Booth, I can't hear you well… are you on the way here?"

All she heard was the word 'home'.

"Are you on the way home?" She asked.

"You should be home, Bones." Booth's voice was clear. "You're supposed to be on bed rest."

"I'm at the lab." She said, speaking loudly, because the line was still full of static. "Booth?" She exclaimed.

And suddenly darkness.

Darkness, and then a crashing sound of metal and glass.

Then silence.

"Booth?" She said into the phone, but the phone was silent.

Silence.

It was silent, but not in the way that one would expect. It was filled with halting voices and alarm. It was filled with terror.

She ran for the door of the lab, feeling her way through the familiar open space that she had walked so many times before. She heard people calling for her in the darkness, calling her name with immeasurable fear. Ignoring the elevators, she slammed her hands into the door she knew as the stairway and the emergency lights lit her way downstairs toward the parking garage.

Out of breath and dizzy, her brain pounded in her skull, her abdomen burned as the baby pounded at her womb. The parking garage was quiet, almost completely black, and she pressed the button for her keys. She could hear sirens in the distance, so she knew that Booth couldn't have been far away when he called, he couldn't be far away at all.

She pulled herself into the car, cursing at her large size as she positioned herself behind the wheel of her small vehicle. She pulled at the seatbelt, listening to her own breathing as her head continued to throb. The seatbelt wouldn't reach around her large belly, and she couldn't remember if she had even bothered that morning when she came into the lab.

She didn't care.

The seatbelt slammed against the window as it flew back, and Brennan started the car. With a squeal of her tires, she maneuvered out of the parking garage into the street.

The darkness of the lab seemed to plague the street as well. The streetlights weren't working, and the buildings that surrounded her were dark. She put pressure on the accelerator and felt the tires screech beneath her as she avoided traffic and followed the sound of the sirens.

It was abrupt and painful, the squeezing of her belly made her want to scream, and her head exploded in a white heat. She shouted in pain, squeezing her eyes closed as her foot slammed down on the brake.

The sirens were coming nearer, and her eyes opened to see that split second, when the bright lights of the speeding SUV hurled toward her, the flickering blue, red and white flashing.

She tried to scream, and was silenced.

Nothing was left but silence.

The sweet embrace of peace at last.


	10. 1 Hour

_**One Hour**_

Sounds shot like bullets in the air. Every movement had a sound, every voice alarming. The air seemed stale and tasted of blood, and death, and sterility. Rockets of pain pierced his brain as the rushing people around him blurred into nothing.

Everyone was talking, but nobody was talking to him. The world seemed to forget he existed for several seconds until a firm hand pressed into his arm. Dark eyes darted to light, and like a book he was able to interpret everything she was going to say before she said it.

Panic surged through not just his body, but his soul.

Two lives hang in the balance.

One he couldn't live without, and the other he hadn't even met.

Both in danger.

Both, hanging by a thin, fraying thread.

The droning voice spoke in a language that he was familiar with, but couldn't understand. His tone concerned, his eyes uncaring.

This was just a job for this doctor.

A job he hated.

Caring for people that he didn't care about.

His words spoken, but not one processed. The doctor turned and walked away, disappearing.

Booth was numb.

Blood rushing in his ears as he tried to get the world to stop spinning. Stop spinning for just one moment.

The blurred sights and sounds were constantly being overshadowed by the image of Brennan's collapse onto the platform. He had heard the sound of the metal, the sound of the glass beakers, and the shouts of her colleagues. He had heard the phone skitter to the floor, sliding from her grasp as her body failed her and dropped her without warning to the cold hard platform floor. He had heard the sirens wailing in the distance as he sped through the streets to find where they were taking her.

The hand on his arm went unnoticed for a moment. He felt it squeezing and turned. Dark eyes stared back at him. She wanted to know what the doctor said.

He couldn't remember.

It was just seconds ago, but the words that the doctor had spoken were lost, and he was numb.

"Booth?" Angela snapped. "Booth, look at me!" Angela's voice rattled with terror. "What did the doctor say?"

"I don't know." He whispered.

The expression on Angela's face transformed from terror to rage in just the blink of an eye. Booth suddenly realized that the room was starting to overflow with concerned people who came to check on Brennan. "What do you mean you don't know?" Angela snapped, sending his eyes back to hers.

"I don't know. I don't know what's going on. I'm not a doctor. I don't know."

"But the doctor just spoke to you." Angela replied. "He just talked to you, and you said nothing!" Angela exclaimed. "What did the doctor say about Brennan?"

"I don't know." Booth repeated.

Those three words sounded like defeat. They rolled off his tongue so easily, because it was nothing but God's honest truth. He didn't know what the doctor said. He didn't know what was going on. He didn't know anything except that the lives of his girlfriend and his child were at risk.

Nothing else mattered.

What could he do?

"Why didn't you take care of her? You should have seen that she was sick, Booth! Why didn't you do anything?" Angela's piercing voice sent shudders down his spine, her accusations stabbing him time and time again, twisting the dagger into his chest deeper. Her taunting shouts continued, and Booth was quickly turning pale. She was right up in his face, pressing her finger in his chest, when everything seemed to just snap into place.

"Stop!" Booth shouted, and everything went silent. He held his hands out in protest. Angela's mouth hung open as she focused on the fire that was now in Booth's eyes. The blurs of nurses and doctors had slowed, and eyes roamed to the small crowd of people that had exited the waiting room. "Just, stop."

"Mr. Booth." The nurse's voice broke the silence.

Booth turned his head, and he tried to read her eyes. This woman was very good at her job, for she revealed nothing in her expression. "You can follow me." She said, moving her hand to encourage him to follow her.

His body twisted in one movement, and without a look behind him, he was escorted through the doors of the emergency ward.


End file.
